Selibuya township plays host to one of the biggest weekly bazaars in Xinjiang. The population of the township doubles from 51,000 to more than 100,000 people every Thursday when traders and customers flock into town.

I arrived on April 27, four days after the attack. Although I was sorry to have missed the bazaar, the walk along the main market street was a great experience. Nearly all of Selibuya's residents are from the Uygur ethnic group, so I really stood out from the crowd.

The daily market was closed for security reasons in the immediate aftermath of the attack, but many stalls reopened late in the afternoon. The Thursday bazaar also continued as usual, said Han Bin, the township's deputy chief.